During the 2009-10 school year, 11.6% of public schools allowed spanking as a disciplinary action and 8.1% actually used it. That’s roughly 8,000 schools nationwide that discipline their students by spanking [there 98,817 public schools for those years]

Estimated Children spanked in school 2009-2010:

With disabilities

Male: 28,655

Female: 5,283

Without Disabilities

Male: 140,775

Female: 43,753

Total Male: 169,430

Total Female: 49,036

Total: 218,466

The World

The USA is in the minority.

145 countries (60.3% of the world’s population) have some kind of spanking ban:

Professional Opinion

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child defines physical punishment that causes any degree of pain and discomfort (even light) to be abuse. They argue that eliminating corporal punishment of children is “a key strategy for reducing and preventing all forms of violence in societies”

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against spanking because the potential risks outweigh the potential benefits.

A meta-analysis of 88 scientific studies over 62 years found a remarkable 94% consensus that spanking is associated significantly with undesirable behaviors and experiences:

decreased moral internalization

increased child aggression

increased child delinquent and antisocial behavior

decreased quality of relationship between parent and child

decreased child mental health

increased risk of being a victim of physical abuse

increased adult aggression

increased adult criminal and antisocial behavior

decreased adult mental health

increased risk of abusing own child or spouse

Spanking is associated with only one desirable behavior:

increased immediate compliance

The Effects of Spanking as a Child

Spanked children become more aggressive

Aggression is defined as:

argumentative

disobedient

cruel/mean/teases/threatens

destroys things

physically attacks people

screams/unusually loud

Children who are spanked less than twice a month at age 3 are 17% more likely to be aggressive at age 5.

Children who are spanked more than twice a month at age 3 are 49% more likely to be aggressive at age 5.

The results controlled for

Child’s aggression at age 3

Family demographics

Psychological maltreatment of child

Neglect of child

Partner aggression

Parenting stress

Major depression

Use of drugs and/or alcohol

Considered aborting the child

“… the child learns to be aggressive by being treated directly with aggression.”

Spanked children become more delinquent

Delinquent behavior is marked by aggression and rule breaking. The results controlled for:

Family demographics

Delinquent behavior & vocabulary skills at age 3

Temperament at age 1

Cognitive stimulation at age 1

Low birth weight

Birth order

Parental drug use

Parental care

Domestic abuse

Father support

Mother’s stress/depression/impulsiveness/intelligence

Delinquent behavior at age 9 of spanked children compared to non-spanked children: [23% of the difference is due to spanking]

Mothers spanking

Age 3

Less than 2x/week: -0.04

More than 2x/week: 0.21

Age 5

Less than 2x/week: 0.65

More than 2x/week: 1.83

Fathers spanking

Age 3

Less than 2x/week: −0.19

More than 2x/week: −0.24

Age 5

Less than 2x/week: 0.25

More than 2x/week: 0.18

For perspective, boys score 1 compared to girls at 0.

Spanked children develop less verbal skills

Verbal skills at age 9 of spanked children compared to non-spanked children: [38% of the difference is due to spanking]

Mothers spanking

Age 3

Less than 2x/week: 0.30

More than 2x/week: −0.37

Age 5

Less than 2x/week: 0.22

More than 2x/week: −0.92

Fathers spanking

Age 3

Less than 2x/week: 0.26

More than 2x/week: −0.56

Age 5

Less than 2x/week: −0.79

More than 2x/week: −4.21

For perspective, children whose moms dropped out of high school score -2.6 compared to children whose moms finished college at 0

Spanked children develop less gray matter.

Children who were spanked at least 12 times a year for at least 3 years have less gray matter as an adult than children with very minimal exposure or no exposure at all to harsh spanking.

Spanking = spanking with an object, on occasion, for the purpose of disciplining a child, provided it did not extend beyond the buttocks, was not conducted out of anger, and did not result in injury.

The ability to monitor one’s own actions to ensure that they are consistent with intentions.

These regions have been linked to:

addiction

suicidal behavior

depression

PTSD

dissociative disorders

These regions are part of the medial rostral prefrontal cortex which plays a crucial role in social cognition as well as functional organization.

Even when controlling for education levels, spanked children scored 10 points lower on IQ tests. 75% of that is explained by spanking. In other words, stop spanking your kids and they will score 7.5 points higher on the IQ test.

Did the spanking cause the impaired development or did the impairment (and thus bad behavior) cause the spanking? Those involved in the study were being spanked before the age of 4 – before these areas of the brain are developed.

Why is gray matter important? Gray matter functions to process information. Specifically in these regions, it aids in decision-making and thought-processing. The more gray matter you have in these regions, the better your ability to evaluate rewards and consequences.

Results controlled for:

substance abuse

head injury

fetal drug/alcohol exposure

exposure to physical, sexual or emotional abuse

perinatal or neonatal complications

neurological disorders

growth and development conditions

The Effects of Spanking when the Child becomes an Adult

Adults who were spanked have more mental illnesses and drugs/alcohol abuse problems.

Spanked is described as: pushed, grabbed, shoved, slapped or hit but not severe physical abuse (hit so hard it left marks, bruises, or caused an injury), sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, or exposure to intimate partner violence.

Percent of psychiatric disorders attributed to spanking:

Alcohol abuse or dependence: 3.4%

Drug abuse or dependence: 3.0%

Mood disorders: 2.8%

Major depression: 2.4%

Dysthymia:

Mania: 5.2%

Hypomania:

Anxiety disorders: 2.1%

Panic:

Social phobia:

Specific phobia:

General anxiety:

PTSD:

Cluster A Personality Disorders: 4.2%

Paranoid:

Schizoid:

Schizotypal: 7.2%

Cluster B Personality Disorders: 4.8%

Antisocial: 5.5%

Borderline: 4.6%

Histrionic:

Narcissistic: 4.7%

Cluster C Personality Disorders:

Avoidant:

Obsessive compulsive:

These percentages might seem small, but when you consider that 46% of Americans are estimated to suffer from some form of psychiatric disorder over the course of their lives, a large population of sufferers might be prevented by the absence of physical punishment. If harsh physical punishment did not occur, the prevalence of psychiatric disorders might be reduced by 2% to 7%.

With a U.S. pollution of 316.1 million, 145,360,000 people suffer from psychiatric disorders. Any where from 2,907,200 to 10,175,200 could be spared by not spanking.

Adults who were spanked have more health problems

Increased chance of developing a physical condition if spanked

Any phisical conditions: 30%

hypertension

Hepatic disease

Diabetes

Cardiovascular disease: 28%

Gastrointestinal disease

Arthritis: 25%

Obesity: 20%

Results controlled for:

Family demographics

Parent had a problem with alcohol or drugs

Parent went to jail or prison

Parent was treated or hospitalized for a mental illness

Parent attempted suicide

Parent died by suicide

Adults who were spanked have more family violence and disfunction

When spanking fails, parents who rely on it tend to increase the intensity of its use rather than to change strategies.

In Canada, 75% of physical child abuse cases involved spanking.

In the U.S., child abusers admit that 66% of their abuses began with spanking.

Compared to children who are not spanked, children who are spanked are:

7 times more likely to be violently abused (punching, kicking, or hitting with an object)

2.3 times more likely to need medical attention due to abusive injuries

Studies suggest that spanking communicates to children that “aggression is normative, acceptable, and effective” and leads to greater acceptance of interpersonal violence.

Individuals who were physically punished during childhood are

more likely to engage in physical and verbal aggression with their spouses: 6% is attributed to spanking

more controlling with their spouses: 6% is attributed to spanking

less able to understand their spouse’s perspective: 10% is attributed to spanking

A study of the dating relationships of students at 33 universities in 17 countries show a .44 correlation between being spanked as a child and assaulting a dating partner in college:

When 10% of students were spanked, 21% of students hit their dating partner

When 80% of students were spanked, 34% of students hit their dating partner

Spanking Alternatives

85% of parents express moderate to high levels of anger while spanking their children.

54% of mothers say that spanking was the wrong thing to have done half of the time.

85% of parents say they would rather not spank if they had an alternative they believed worked.

A healthy system of teaching and nurturing prepares children to achieve:

competence

self-control

self-direction

caring for others

An effective discipline system must contain three vital elements. Each element needs to be functioning adequately for discipline to be effective:

1) Develop a positive, supportive, loving relationship between the parent and child: